Vandalism: JTF arrest 5 Niger-Delta militants

Operatives of the Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) have arrested five suspected militants for allegedly bombing a Chevron Nigeria Limited crude oil pipeline at Makaraba community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State.

The suspected militants had reportedly blown up the pipeline at two different locations, though it was not clear if it was a pipeline or an oil well that was bombed as fire billowed from the location in the swampy terrain, near Abiteye.

The daring attack occurred near the same Valve Platform which the emergent militant group,
(NDA) had bombed earlier in the year.

Members of the NDA did not however claim respon­sibility for the latest attack, but a de­pendable security source said those arrested are members of the group.

The source said: “I cannot give you details of the suspects arrested; they were ar­rested by the military men, who have been on the hunt for members of the NDA which claimed responsibility for series of explosions on oil facilities in the area of late.”

The source added that “loud explosive bang was heard at the facility and it appears dynamites were used to carry out the attack.

”It is not certain if there are causalities as a result of the incident, but investigations into the attack are still ongoing, while secu­rity operatives continue their search for the perpetrators of this ugly act.”

On Thursday, NDA warned it would attack the headquarters of CNL in Lagos and tank farm if it did not abort its planned repair works on the Valve Platform earlier destroyed by the group.

Spokesperson for the group, Mudoch Agbinibo, stated that the group which had restricted itself to only pipeline attacks, might take hu­man casualties if the company thought it was joking and defies the warning by going ahead to effect repairs on the damaged facility.